


Look Closer

by Keitorin



Category: Dragon Age
Genre: Action/Adventure, Aladdin's Lamp, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Djinni & Genies, Dog(s), Dragon Age AU, Falling In Love, M/M, Magic, Rare Characters, Rare Pairings, Romance, Royalty, Secret Identity, Sexual Content, Sweet, Villains, Wordcount: 10.000-30.000, Wordcount: Over 10.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-09
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-13 21:05:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/507708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keitorin/pseuds/Keitorin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Princes didn’t spend every day worrying about how they would make it to the next, if their shelter would hold up, or if the guards would find them and imprison them, or worse, execute them.</i>
</p><p> </p><p>A Dragon Age: Origins/Aladdin fusion.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jowan's Life

**Author's Note:**

> Finally posting this, omg. I meant to post it a long time ago but got carried away with the editing (and writing a sequel and more editing) and then I needed a break.
> 
> I didn't have a beta for this so if you notice anything glaring, I'd appreciate you letting me know.
> 
> Lots of thanks go to TomatoGraffiti for encouraging me and (unknowingly) providing me with a title. Thanks also to my mom for helping me out with a few passages.
> 
> Everything but the sequel is rated for General Audiences.
> 
> I'm probably going to post a chapter a week, and to multiple websites (won't that be fun).
> 
> Hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't claim to own either Dragon Age: Origins or Aladdin. They belong to BioWare and Disney respectively. I make no profit from writing this. Credit goes to [this site](http://www.aladdincentral.org/) for Aladdin transcript.

“Stop, thief! I'll have your hands for a trophy, street rat!”

Jowan looked back at the guards chasing after him. Their faces were set in anger, and even their armor glared as the sun beat down on them. Jowan turned back to look over the edge of the building. There was nothing but ground to break his fall. He looked down at the crusty, freshly baked bread in his hand.

“All this for a loaf of bread?”

He backed up a bit and took a running leap over the edge, grappling for the rope of a clothesline. It didn’t snap like he’d been hoping, so he brought his leg up high enough to grab the dagger out of his boot, and then in one quick slice cut the rope.

He immediately started careening at full speed through the air, falling lower as the rope dropped. He braced himself for impact before he slammed into the wall of a building, clothes scattering around him and a shirt landing on his head.

“Oww.” He groaned as he hung there for a moment, then let go.

He fell through the air for a millisecond before the air was pushed out of him as he landed on the awning of a stall. It collapsed under his weight, and he ended up jolting his tail-bone on the ground as he landed.

He didn’t have time to check himself over, as he heard shouting from above.

“There he is!”

“You won't get away so easy!”

“You think that was easy?” Jowan snorted, standing and rubbing his back with a grimace.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that more guards had arrived.

“You two, over that way, and you, with me. We'll find him.” 

“Uh-oh…” He muttered under his breath, edging away slowly so as not to draw attention. He saw a sheet that had fallen off the line and snatched it up, wrapping it around himself. 

A few women were nearby, giggling at him. He flushed and waved self-consciously.

“Morning, ladies.”

“Getting into trouble a little early today, aren't we Jowan?“

“Trouble? No way. You're only in trouble if you get caught—”

Just then, his shoulder was grabbed and he was yanked backwards.

“I’m in trouble!”

“Gotcha!” The guard spat in his face, hands gripping tightly at the collar of his tunic. “And this time—”

“Woof!”

The guard hollered out, dropped Jowan and reached back to cover his buttocks. Jowan looked behind him to see Lily panting happily, a scrap of trousers in her mouth.

“Perfect timing, Lily!“ Jowan laughed with his hand over his mouth.

“Woof woof!”

“Come on, let's get out of here!“

What followed was a mad dash through milling people, around stalls and stacks of supplies, through alleyways and even a detour through a building, where he ended up jumping out the window and escaping through a side alley that he knew was often abandoned because of its dilapidated state.

He sat down on the muddy ground and caught his breath, before tearing the bread and handing half over to Lily, who happily finished it with two snaps of her jaws. He couldn’t blame her, he hadn’t dared let her out by herself to find herself something for fear that the guards would recognize her as his. Mabari weren’t as common as normal dog breeds and were usually only kept by royalty.

He had taken a few bites already when movement ahead caught his attention. Two children were rummaging around in the refuse, looking for scraps to eat. They were so small and sad looking that Jowan’s heart ached to see it. 

Children had a lot harder of a time getting away with stealing than he did. No one cared about orphans here.

Sighing, he stood up and cautiously approached them. They watched with wide, wary eyes, the girl pulling her brother closer to her. Lily wisely stayed back so as not to frighten them.

“Here, go on - take it.” He crouched down and offered the bread.

The girl bravely reached forward and grabbed it. When Jowan didn’t try to snatch it back, the children giggled and smiled up him. He returned it and slipped away as they started in on it.

As he neared the opening leading to the streets, he heard some bystanders gossiping.

“On his way to the castle, I suppose.”

“ _Another_ suitor for the prince.”

Ah, they were talking about the Prince of Ferelden, Alistair. He’d heard about the many suitors visiting the castle, but this was his first time seeing one. He’d heard that the king was trying for men suitors now as Alistair had rejected several women already.

Jowan thought that if he were the prince, he’d have just chosen one and lived with it - it’d be worth any mismatch just for the freedom and luxury that a prince had. 

Princes didn’t spend every day worrying about how they would make it to the next, if their shelter would hold up, or if the guards would find them and imprison them, or worse, execute them.

The suitor was clearly Orlesian, garbed in gaudy clothes with jewels encrusted in them that could keep a street rat in food for a long time. He had a handlebar mustache and wore a sneer that clearly showed what he thought of _everyone else_.

Just then, the girl came running out from behind him after the boy, who ran right in front of the suitor’s horse, making it rear back in surprise.

“Out of my way, you filthy brat!” The Orlesian prince sneered down at the boy, raising his rider’s whip to snap at him, but Jowan stepped forward and took the lash himself, feeling the stinging burn on his arm as it connected. Lily growled and stepped up beside him.

“Hey, if I were as rich as you, I could afford some manners.” Jowan snapped.

“Oh - I teach you some manners!” The Orlesian struck out with his foot, kicking Jowan into the mud.

“ _Woof_!” Lily barked, making the horse shuffle nervously away.

The prince gave them one last sneer before trotting on.

The crowd was laughing. Jowan felt anger swell up inside him alongside the embarrassment. It didn’t happen often, but he had a hidden temper. That’s what made him brave enough to stand up and speak.

“Look at that, Lily. It's not every day you see a horse with two rear ends!"

The prince stopped and looked over his shoulder at Jowan.

“You are a worthless street rat. You were born a street rat, you'll die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you.”

Jowan started to rush forward, but Lily caught a hold of his shirt, making him stop to look down at her. She gave him her best puppy dog eyes and whined low in her throat. He calmed down immediately, the fight leaving him so suddenly that he felt empty.

“You’re right Lils, I just got out of trouble, I shouldn’t be throwing myself into more, right?” Jowan quirked his lips in a grimace. “I'm not worthless. And I don't have fleas.” Jowan reached down to pat the mabari on the head. “Come on, Lily. Let's go home.“

“Woof.”

By the time they made it home, it was dark out and they were both exhausted. Lily walked right over and curled up into a ball beside his bed. Jowan went over and set at the window, staring out at the stars as they twinkled like mini diamonds.

Jowan hadn’t been born a street rat. He had started out in an orphanage, abandoned there by his father. Apparently his mother had hated him even at age five and made him take him away so she didn’t have to look at him anymore. 

He had left when he was eleven, because it turned out that living as a street rat was better than living in that place, packed in with the other abandoned or unparented children, and worked hard for little food. The worse thing was that the owner had only _pretended_ to care for them.

He might die a street rat, but at least he would die free, living by his own choices and with a true friend in Lily.

And about the flea thing? He _tried_ to keep as clean as possible, but it was hard when you lived in a decrepit building with a dog for company.

Jowan pulled back the curtain over the window to reveal the dazzling castle and allowed himself to dream.

“Someday, Lils, things are going change. We'll be rich, live in a castle, and never have any problems at all. “ Even as he spoke the words, his mind brought up several reasons why that wouldn’t work. He rolled his eyes at himself for not being able to turn off his logical side.

He pushed his hair back from his face, and leaned over to scritch Lily’s head (her tail thumped happily against the floor) before curling up on the cold stone and pulling a ragged blanket up over himself.


	2. Alistair Escapes the Castle

The door to the king’s chambers burst open, and the Orlesian suitor came storming in, a large chunk of his clothes missing.

“I've never been so insulted!“ He spat, continuing to the exit on the other side of the room.

“Oh, Prince Anton. You're not leaving so soon, are you?“ Eamon ask resignedly, already knowing the answer.

“Good luck marrying him off!” And the suitor was gone.

“Oh, Alistair!” The King sighed in exasperation.

* * *

“Alistair! Alistair!” 

Alistair heard his adopted father calling him, and knew what was coming.

He turned as he heard Duncan growl. Eamon was playing tug of war with him, trying to get a piece of that ponce’s cloth out of his mouth. Eamon eventually won, but not without nearly falling over.

“Confound it, Duncan! So, this is why Prince Anton stormed out!“

“Oh, father. Duncan was just playing with him, weren't you Duncan.“ Alistair cooed, scratching the mabari thoroughly under the chin.

In a quieter tone, he continued, “You were just playing with that overdressed, self-absorbed Prince Anton, weren't you?“

Alistair glanced up to see Eamon’s angry expression settled on him.

“Ahem.”

“Oops.” He muttered, looking off to the side contritely.

“Alistair, you've got to stop rejecting every suitor that comes to call. The law says you...”

Alistair was too familiar with this song and dance not to know the next words.

“...must be married.” He finished, standing up and walking over to the pigeon carrier’s cage, leaving Duncan to rest after his bit of fun.

“By your next birthday.” Eamon felt the need to add.

“The law is wrong.” Alistair stated boldly, unlatching the cage.

“You've only got three more days!” Eamon bemoaned, seeming not to have heard him.

“Father, I hate being forced into this.” Alistair took a pigeon out and stroked its head gently with the back of his knuckles. It cooed and leaned into his touch. “If I do marry, I want it to be for love.”

“Alistair, it's not only this law. I'm not going to be around forever, and I just want to make sure you're taken care of, that you have someone there for you like I have Isolde.”

Alistair turned to put the pigeon away so Eamon wouldn’t see his scowl at the mention of Eamon’s wife. 

She hated him, thought he was Eamon’s bastard even though everyone knew about Maric by now. Any time she caught sight of him, she wouldn’t openly sneer, no, it was this subtle twisting of the lips as if she smelled something rotten. And she kept trying to get him to sleep with the dogs, saying that he snored (even though their rooms were far apart), smelled after training (who wouldn’t?) and was too loud in everything he did (he was only walking and eating like a normal person!). The only good thing about her was her young son, Connor. Unfortunately, Alistair didn’t get to see him often as Isolde kept them apart.

Eamon laughed off the complaints like they were a joke, but Alistair knew the truth. She just plain didn’t want him around, coming between _them_. She was probably glad to see him rejecting so many suitors, hoping that Eamon would eventually get tired of it and disown him or something.

Alistair turned and walked back over to the fountain, sitting on the edge.

“Try to understand. I've never done a thing on my own, besides training with the guards, and you won’t let me do more than that. Besides, they treat me like glass and let me win.” Alistair ran a finger across the surface of the pond, startling a fish nearby.

“I've never had any real friends.” He paused as Duncan looked up at him and huffed. “Except you, Duncan.” The mabari’s eyes closed again, satisfied. “I've never even been outside the castle walls.”

Not that he hadn’t tried, but the guards (specifically, the man who was his mabari’s namesake) knew him all too well and caught him every time.

“But Alistair, you're a prince. It’s too dangerous for you to fight. What if something were to happen to you?” Eamon fretted.

“There’s Connor, isn’t there?”

“We’ve talked about this, Alistair. You have Maric’s blood, and are the rightful prince and heir.”

“Well maybe I don't want to be a prince anymore.” Alistair disturbed the water with an angry splash of his hand.

“Ooh!” Eamon groaned in frustration, throwing up his hands and looking down at Duncan. “Maker forbid you should have any children!“

Duncan snuffled in question as the king stalked off.

Alistair stomped over to the bird cage angrily and threw open the latch, but the birds just cooed at him in confusion. They didn’t know any other life than the cage, and didn’t know what was being offered. Alistair just stood there, hand still on the cage door, staring back at them dejectedly.

* * *

Alistair waited until the household fell silent as everyone settled in for the night. He’d already slipped on the plain clothes that he’d snatched up from the laundry room. He tip-toed through the house, avoiding all the creaks and weak places expertly until he was outside, listening and watching carefully for signs of any guards (who should all be sleeping after a regularly scheduled meeting earlier) or stragglers, before making his way over to a tree he’d played on as a child.

As he went to climb it, a tug on the back of his clothes caught his attention. It was Duncan, staring plaintively up at him.

“Oh, I'm sorry, Duncan. But I can't stay here and have my life lived for me. I'll miss you.” Alistair reached out and hugged him one-armed, the other going around to scratch the mabari behind the ear. He would genuinely miss his faithful companion. He’d had him ever since the Captain of the Guard had gifted him to him when he was a child. The older man had found it amusing when Alistair had named the mabari often him right on the spot.

He shook himself out of his reminiscing and started to climb. Duncan sat back and whined. 

“Take care of father, boy!”

Alistair disappeared over the wall and towards freedom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who meets in the next chapter? :D


	3. Jowan and Alistair Meet

“Okay Lily, go!” Jowan whispered, gesturing to the mabari from his place up on the awning of a fruit stand.

The proprietor below kept on calling out about his wares, not noticing the approaching animal until Lily picked a watermelon up in her mouth.

“Hey, get your teeth out of that!“

Lily huffed around it, and Jowan could sense her mentally rolling her eyes.

“Why, you! Get away from here, you filthy mutt!“ The proprietor grabbed onto the melon and tried to forcefully get it back.

Meanwhile, Jowan carefully reached over the side of the awning behind the man and grabbed one for himself. Just then, Lily let go of the melon, causing the man to almost drop it. He kicked at the dog, who dodged out of the way, and turned around to put the merchandise back with the others. He wore a confused expression as he saw the empty spot where he could have sworn there had been a melon before.

Jowan and Lily found a safe spot, where Jowan cut the watermelon with his boot knife.

“Nice going Lils. Breakfast is served.“

They ate with the everyday sounds of the marketplace as background noise.

As Jowan idly looked around, he spotted an usual sight - a figure dressed in plain clothes, with a hood covering most of their face. In Jowan’s experience, you didn’t wear a hood unless you had something to hide, and the clothes were plain enough that the person would be considered a nobody without. So why the hood, unless that person was someone special?

The hood came loose as the man (his build was too large to be anything else) bumped into someone. He apologized before moving on, looking around with obvious interest and absentmindedly pulling the hood back to run his hand through his hair.

Jowan gasped. If the man wasn’t of noble birth, he would eat his shirt (or not - maybe his blanket, it was getting old anyway). 

He cut quite a handsome figure, it was easy to see as the clothes he wore were a bit too small, as if they had been borrowed from someone else. He had light brown hair cut short, the bangs spiked up, but Jowan couldn’t tell what color his eyes were from where he was. He had light stubble growth around his chin. His face was strikingly handsome.

The smile the man wore as he looked around with an expression of wonder made Jowan linger on his lips. Various proprietors tried to get his attention - Liselle with her oils and perfumes, Gorim with his Dwarven crafts and Cesar with this various odds and ends, but the man politely declined them all.

The man stopped to watch a small child, who was eying the apples on a man’s cart hungrily. Jowan watched in shock as the man reached over, grabbed one and handed it to the boy, smiling as it ran off with its prize.

The angry proprietor started in on the man, who just seemed confused at what was wrong. _Definitely_ nobility.

The man was saying something about the castle and the king, probably trying to claim a connection to get away, but the proprietor was having none of it.

The proprietor grabbed onto the man’s arm and yanked him around, calling him a thief. Jowan watching on worriedly, wondering what to do. He was torn between not wanting to get into trouble (over a noble of all things) and wanting to help the man who didn’t seem like a bad person.

However, he knew he had no choice when the proprietor pinned the man’s arm onto his cart and brought out the sword.

“Please, wait!” The man entreated, trying to pull away as the sword was raised into the air.

Jowan deftly stepped in, stopping the sword’s trajectory. He took the sword away and replaced it with his hand, shaking the proprietor’s hand and putting on a smile.

“Thank you, kind sir. I'm so glad you've found him.” Jowan smiled back at the man and headed over to him, taking him by the arm and starting to lead him away. “I've been looking all over for you.“

“What are you doing?” The noble whispered to him.

“Just play along.” Jowan murmured.

“You know this man?” The proprietor grabbed him by the shoulder and asked suspiciously.

“Sadly, yes. He is my cousin. He's a little crazy.” Jowan’s finger circled around his ear in a universal gesture. The noble looked at him, shocked.

“He said he knows the King!” The proprietor grabbed him with both hands in a bruising grip and yanked him around.

“He thinks the _dog_ is the King.“ At the word ‘dog’, Lily froze from her place at a stall where her teeth had been just about to close around a figurine of Andraste. 

Jowan mentally slapped his forehead. They _already_ had a collection of Andraste trinkets at home. He just couldn’t train her out of her devotion to the Maker’s bride.

Thankfully the noble got it together and played along, kneeling on the ground and throwing open his arms to the mabari.

“Oh, wise King. How may I serve you?“ His tone sounded affected, but Jowan supposed it could have been worse. He could still be gaping and wondering why a stranger was claiming cousinhood.

“Woof, woof!” Lily replied, tail thumping and causing dirt to stir up.

“Tragic, isn't it?“ Jowan asked, sneakily reaching behind himself and hiding away an apple in his clothes while the proprietor was still watching the spectacle.

“But, no harm done.” He walked over to the still-kneeling man. “Now come along, cousin. Time to see the doctor.“

Jowan had to bite his tongue to hold back his laughter when, as they passed a camel, the man turned to it and said, “Oh, hello doctor. How are you?”.

“No, no, no. Not _that_ one.” Jowan looked over to Lily. “Come on, King.”

Lily barked in reply, panting happily at the crowd before turning and following them. 

Jowan suspected that if she could have gotten away with the statue, she would have.

* * *

Alistair climbed the ladder behind…what had he said his name was? Jowan? He had withheld his own name, not wanting to be treated differently.

“Almost there.“ Jowan said, giving him a hand up.

As Alistair stepped onto the roof, he lost his footing and jolted forward into Jowan, who held him by the shoulders to secure him. They stared at each other for a moment before Alistair stepped back with a flush on his face.

“I…want to thank you for stopping that man. I mean, not that I couldn’t have taken care of it. Because I could have. Taken care of it.”

Oh _Maker_ , his propensity to ramble when nervous was making an appearance. Alistair mentally groaned.

“Uh, forget it.” Jowan said, not looking wholly like he believed him. 

So Alistair was a bit clumsy and maybe he had jumped into things a bit without knowing what he was getting into, but he really could have taken care of that situation if he’d wanted to. He just didn’t want to harm anyone unless it couldn’t be avoided.

Jowan reached down and picked up a pole off the ground. 

“So, uh, that was your first time in the marketplace, huh?”

Before Alistair could reply, Jowan used the pole to vault over to the next building. Alistair’s eyes widened as he watched the practiced action.

“Is it that obvious?” Alistair asked sheepishly after he recovered, raising his voice slightly to make sure he was heard.

“Well, you do kind of stand out.” Jowan smiled, raking his eyes over him. After a moment, Jowan turned away. Alistair could see that his ears and neck were red. It was a good thing he had turned away when he did, or he would have gotten an eyeful of Alistair’s own red face.

Alistair wasn’t sure what to make of the other man. He’d never met anyone like him. He was the complete opposite of Alistair himself, street wise and unafraid to do what he wanted.

“I mean, uh, you don't seem to know how dangerous Ferelden can be.“ 

Jowan seemed to be going for a plank of wood so that he could make it across, but in a fit of daring, Alistair grabbed up another pole and took a running leap, vaulting over the building and landing with a solid thump beside the dark-haired man.

He tossed the pole over to Jowan with a smug grin at how wide Jowan’s eyes were.

“I'm a fast learner.”

“Right. Come on, this way.” Jowan grabbed his hand and turned to lead him away. Alistair stared down at their joined hands with wide eyes. He didn’t remember the last time someone had just touched him like that. Even Eamon only touched him when he was trying to show him something, or get his attention when Alistair was daydreaming.

“Whoa. Watch your head there. Be careful.” Jowan advised him as they dodged planks and beams, Alistair having almost hit his head on one as he looked around in curiosity.

“Is this where you live?”

“Yep. Just me and Lily. Come and go as we please.” Jowan replied, heading over to pet Lily. She had to take a different route through a few well-placed holes in the architecture, as she couldn’t go up the latter.

“Wonderful.” Alistair replied earnestly, looking around in interest. He ran his hands across the spines of the books on a broken shelf. They were dust-free and worn from reading, obviously well cared for.

Maybe as a prince he should find the place utterly uninhabitable, with all the dust, dirt and debris, not to mention the hole in the wall, but to Alistair it felt exciting and new. Back in the castle, his room was never anything less than sparkling and well-furnished. Sometimes he actually did go and sleep in the stables just to get a break from it.

“Well, it's not much,” Jowan admitted as if he’d said something negative, pulling back the curtain to expose the castle. “but it's got a great view. castle looks pretty amazing, huh? “

“Oh, it's _fantastic_.” Alistair drawled sarcastically, turning away, but Jowan didn’t seem to notice his tone.

“I wonder what it would be like to live there, to have servants and valets...” Jowan mused in a faraway voice.

“Oh, sure. People who tell you where to go and how to dress.” And who to marry, and a whole big list of things not to do, Alistair mentally tacked on.

“It's better than here. Always scraping for food and ducking the guards.” Jowan said bitterly, clutching the curtain in his fist.

“You're not free to make your own choices.” Alistair chipped in.

“Sometimes you feel so—” Jowan began.

“You're just—” Alistair groped for the right word.

“—trapped.” They both exclaimed at the same time.

They stared at each other in surprise, and once again they were caught up in each other’s eyes. 

Alistair couldn’t believe that there was someone out there who felt so much like him, but they were such opposites in the life they lived. But they both essentially wanted the same thing - freedom from their forced way of living.

Jowan was the first to break the stare. He reached into his clothes and took out an apple, offering it to Alistair.

“So, where're you from?” Jowan asked. Alistair took a seat on a step, and wiped the apple on his tunic before taking a bite. He hadn’t eaten since the night before, and though the apple was a bit warm, it was juicy and crisp. Still chewing (what were table manners here?), he replied.

“What does it matter? I ran away, and I am _not_ going back.“ Alistair said firmly.

“Really?” Jowan took out another apple, taking a few bites before offering it to Lily. The mabari huffed, but took the apple in her mouth and ate it dutifully. “Why not?”

Jowan walked over and took a seat beside him.

“My father's forcing me to get married.”

“That's—that's awful.” Jowan sounded genuinely upset for him.

“Woof!” The mabari - Lily? - barked.

“What?” Alistair asked curiously. After having had Duncan for so long, he’d come to understand him, but you had to have close bond. Every mabari was different

“Lily says that - uh that's not fair.” Jowan seemed twitchy, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. Lily made an inquisitive noise.

“Oh did she?” Alistair asked playfully.

“Yeah, of course.”

“And does Lily have anything else to say?” Alistair asked, feeling playful. He could guess what Lily had really said. Mabari were notorious for being loyal and protective of their owners. Lily was probably feeling a little left out.

“Well, uh, she wishes there was something she could do to help.”

Alistair found himself smiling at the other man’s almost shy manner. It was a side he hadn’t excepted to see.

“Woof!”

“Hmm, tell her that's very sweet.” Alistair drawled, not realizing how close they had been getting as they talked. He darted his eyes down to see Jowan’s lips so close to his. 

He hadn’t been lying when he’d said he’d never been out of the castle, and anyone inside the castle was out of bounds. Even when he was allowed to train with the guards, Duncan made sure everyone kept it professional, no idle chatting, though Alistair thought some of the guards might have liked to have talked to him.

So suffice to say, he had never gotten really close with anyone. Since he’d hit puberty, he had always been curious about certain things, but never had the chance to explore it.

It was inexplicable, but he found himself wanting to take the chance to do something crazy while he was free. Jowan seemed to find him just as interesting in return, maybe he could just have _one_ little kiss—

“Here you are!” The three looked up in surprise to see two guards heading right for them. They had been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn’t heard them coming.

“They've found me! “ Alistair exclaimed, just at the time as Jowan did. They turned to each other in surprised confusion. “They're after you?”

“My father must have sent them—” Alistair began, but was interrupted.

“Do you trust me?”

“What?” Alistair turned to see Jowan standing on the ledge and holding out his hand to him.

“Do you trust me?” Jowan asked again more firmly. Alistair stared at the upheld palm.

“Yeees?” He replied uncertainly, but took it.

“Then jump!”

Off the roof they went, and the flight seemed to go by in an instant before they fell through an open roof into a building landing in a pile of salt. They started to pick themselves up, wiping off the white grains. Alistair lifted the hood back over his head to shake some of the salt off it.

Alistair saw the guard the instant before Jowan was grabbed by him.

“We just keep running into each other, don't we, street rat?” The guard had him by the throat, pulled close to his face. Then the guard let out a pained grunt as Jowan kneed him in the groin. The guard dropped him and Jowan took the opportunity to get away.

“Run!”

However, there was nowhere to go - more guards were blocking the exit. Jowan was grabbed and thrown to them, where they roughly held onto him. Alistair anxiously tried to figure out what to do. He could take down a man or two barehanded, but there were too many - he might be able to wrestle a sword from one of them, but he didn’t want to seriously wound anyone. He also didn’t want to see his rescuer treated so poorly.

“It's the dungeon for you, boy.”

“Hey, get off of me!” Jowan was struggling, but the guards only held him tighter. The grimace on his face told Alistair how much it was hurting him.

“Let go of him.” He declared.

“Look what we have here, men—a street mouse.” The guard sneered, pushing Alistair roughly to the ground.

“Unhand him, by order of the prince.” Alistair commanded as he threw off his hood, getting to his feet.

The guards gasped and immediately bowed, forcing Jowan to as well.

“Prince Alistair.”

“The prince?” Jowan asked in disbelief.

“What are you doing outside the castle? And with this street rat?” The guard questioned him.

“That's not your concern. Do as I command. Release him!” Alistair demanded.

“Well, I would, prince, but my orders come from Loghain. You'll have to take it up with him.”

With that, the guards dragged Jowan away, giving one last bow before they disappeared out the door.

“Believe me, I will.” Alistair growled angrily.


	4. Jowan Captured, Alistair Home

It took a lot less time for Alistair to get home than it had taken to leave. His disappearance had obviously been noticed, as Duncan was waiting for him outside the castle with a look of stern disapproval on his face, but Alistair was still so angry that he didn’t feel the usual sting of regret at having disappointed his mentor.

He stormed through the castle, startling a servant or two in his wake, before he reached the chambers of Eamon’s adviser, Loghain, and the man who had ordered Jowan’s capture.

Alistair hated the man, something about him just put him off completely, but Eamon seemed to trust him, so Alistair had always put up with him.

Luckily, he didn’t have to knock, as Loghain was standing out in the hall. His mabari, unimaginatively named ‘Dog’, was sitting beside him, panting.

“Loghain?”

“Pr _ince_.” The older man always said it with a growl.

“The guards just took a man from the market, on your orders.“

“Your father's charged me with keeping peace in Fereldan. The boy was a criminal.“

“What was the crime?” Alistair demanded.

“Why, kidnapping the prince, of course.”

“He didn't kidnap me! I ran away!” He exclaimed.

“Oh, dear. Oh, how frightfully upsetting. Had I but known.“ Loghain had raised a hand to cover his mouth as if in shock.

“What do you mean?” Alistair asked hesitantly.

“Sadly, the boy's sentence has already been carried out.”

“What sentence?”

“Death.” Loghain stated in a sinister tone. “By beheading.” Alistair gasped, rocking back on his heels.

“No!” Alistair shouted, shaking in shock and clenching his fists.

“I am exceedingly sorry, prince.”

“ _Why_?” Alistair gritted out, so angry that he felt like he was going to hit the other man if he didn’t leave.

And so he turned around and fled, without waiting for an answer.

The fountain was always the place where he went when he wanted to relax if he couldn’t train with the guards, but today he went there because he had nowhere else to go. He sat on the steps with his face in his hands, feeling conflicted - because how could he feel so strongly at the death of a man he barely knew, and how could Loghain just do that? It wasn’t right.

He felt a wet nose nudging him and lowered his hands to see Duncan looking at him with worried eyes. Alistair sighed, reaching over to scratch him behind his ears in a familiar gesture.

“It's all my fault, Duncan. He’s dead because of me.”

* * *

“He was the prince. I don't believe it. I must have sounded so stupid to him.“ Jowan muttered to himself from his place against the wall of the dungeon, where he was chained up.

“Woof!”

Jowan jerked his head up to see Lily’s face looking in through the bars of the window.

“Lily! Down here! Hey, come on--help me out of these.“

Somehow, Lily managed to squeeze through the bars and padded over to him. She came to a stop and just stared at him for a moment, and then whined.

Jowan understood what she was saying. She was telling him how stupid he was for getting into this mess.

“Hey, he was in trouble. Ah, he was worth it though.” Jowan sighed, bringing up the image of _prince_ Alistair in his mind’s eye. He was a bit embarrassed that’s he’d ogled the man, and so obviously at that. It had been one of the most interesting days in his life, meeting royalty.

Lily stepped up close to him, grasped the chains in her teeth and yanked, tearing them right out of the wall. Jowan pulled them away from his body and rubbed the spots where they had lain.

“Don't worry, Lily. I'll never see him again. I'm a street rat, remember, and there's a law. He has to marry nobility.“ Somehow the thought didn’t sit well with him, even though earlier he’d been thinking that if it were he, he would just choose a suitor and deal with it. He didn’t like to think of the shy, naive man being forced into something like that.

“Woof woof!”

“I'm a—I'm a fool.” Jowan muttered, rubbing his chafed wrists.

“You're only a fool if you give up, boy.” Startled, Jowan’s eyes darted around at the voice, landing on an old man sitting in the corner who he could have sworn hadn’t been there before. Or maybe he had been there so long he had became a permanent fixture, blending right into the surroundings.

“Who are you?”

“A lowly prisoner, like yourself. But together, perhaps we can be more.” The old man rasped.

“I'm listening.” Jowan replied cautiously.

“There is a cave, boy. A cave of wonders. Filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams.” The old man opened his palm, where glittered jewels were nestled. “Treasure enough to impress even your prince, I'd wager.”

“But the law says that only a noble can marry— Wait, were you listening in?”

“Yes, yes.” The old man rasped dismissively. “You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you boy? Whoever has the gold makes the rules.” He grinned, showing a bad mouth.

“So why would you share all of this wonderful treasure with me?” Jowan asked suspiciously.

“I need a young man with strong legs and a strong back to go in after it.”

“Ah, one problem. It's out there, we're in here?”

The old man walked over to a portion of the wall, pushing a brick inward with his walking stick and revealing a hidden exit.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm. Things aren't always what they seem. So, do we have a deal?“

Jowan looked to Lily, who huffed - her equivalent of a shrug. It was up to him.

* * *

Jowan pulled a horse by its reigns across the dessert with the old man on its back, Lily walking alongside them. The wind was blasting the sand everywhere, making it hard to see and getting grit in his clothes.

They slowed to a stop at the entrance of a cave, shaped like a lion’s head. It came to life and spoke just as Jowan was studying its eyes, so he got quite a shock when they filled with bright light.

_“Who disturbs my slumber?”_

“It is I, Jowan.” He said nervously.

_“Proceed. Touch nothing but the lamp.”_

The cave opened up with a roar, and a staircase appeared in front of him.

“Remember, boy—first fetch me the lamp, and then you shall have your reward.” The old man reminded him.

“Come on, Lily.” Jowan patted his leg, petting her on the head as she came up to put her at ease before they continued on.

He descended the staircase into darkness, and upon reaching the bottom, entered a golden chamber filled with treasure.

“Would you look at that!” He said in wonder, trying to take it all in. There were heaps of gold here, chests near overflowing with treasures of all kinds there - some things were stacked haphazardly while others almost looked organized, like the statues of the old dragon gods sitting side by side and seeming to stare right at him, or crests from paragons long forgotten hung neatly on a wall with not even a speck of dust obscuring their symbols.

“Woof!”

“Just a handful of this stuff would make me richer than the King!” Jowan exclaimed in awe.

Suddenly, Lily darted out from behind him towards the treasure.

”Lily!” Jowan scolded.

The mabari stopped in mid-run, a paw hovering in midair over a rug on the floor. She looked back at him contritely.

“Don't touch anything. We have to find that lamp.” 

Jowan started across the room, Lily following obediently at his side.

“ _Grr_.” Lily began to growl after a few minutes, brushing up close to his leg.

“What’s wrong, girl?” Jowan asked, looking behind them but seeing nothing.

Lily just huffed, so he shrugged and continued on. However, not a minute later, Lily suddenly whirled around and clamped onto something with her jaws. Looking closer, Jowan saw that it was a piece of fancy carpet.

“What - _Lily_ , drop it!” He commanded. Lily reluctantly did so, and the object suddenly went flying across the room to cower behind a pile of treasure.

“A magic carpet! Come on. Come on out. I'm not going to hurt you.“ Jowan whispered soothingly, crouching down on his haunches and placing his hands palm down on his thighs in an nonthreatening posture.

The carpet came out a bit at a time, shyly floating over to them. Lily growled at it, causing it to shake a bit and back away.

“Take it easy, Lily. He's not going to bite. Unlike you.” Jowan said, amused at how shaken Lily was at a piece of carpet.

Lily snorted and looked away, obviously miffed.

The carpet turned and began floating away, seeming dejected.

“Hey, wait a minute. Don't go. Maybe you can help us.“

At that the carpet looked around excitedly, then flew back over and tried to wrap itself around them.

“Hey, whoa!” Jowan laughed. Perhaps it had just been waiting for someone to come along and be kind to it. 

“You see, we're trying to find this lamp.” The carpet immediately made a motion for them to follow it. “I think he knows where it is.” Jowan grinned, and they hurried after after it as it led the way.

They passed through a long, dank cave, until they emerged in a giant underground cavern cast in blue light. In the center of the room was a tall pillar with a staircase going up it. It was surrounded by water with unevenly placed stones forming a bridge. At the top of the pillar was a beam of light. 

“Wait here.” Jowan told the mabari.

“Arf?” Lily questioned, but did as she was told.

Jowan began to cross the bridge, carefully balancing on each stone until he made it to the end. He climbed the stairs quickly, finally reaching the magic lamp. It was a small thing, looking no bigger or more special than any other lamp he had seen around. In fact, he’d seen a much fancier one in The Wonders of Thedas, where all sorts of interesting things had been gathered.

“This is it? This is what we came all the way down here to—”

Then Jowan looked down over the side of the pillar and saw Lily, breaking free of the carpet who was holding her and darting towards a small statue of Andraste wearing a pendant made of diamond.

“Lily - NO!” Jowan yelled, but it was too late. Lily snatched the figurine up in her jaws.

There was a rumble from below, and then the room began to shake.

 _“Infidels!”_ The cave roared, sounding like it came from the Void itself.

Lily whined and hunched down, ears flat to her head.

 _“You have touched the forbidden treasure.”_ Lily carefully placed the statue back onto ground, but it immediately began to melt. _“Now you will never again see the light of day!”_

Jowan raced down the steps, but they melted into a muddy ramp, and he skied down until he flew through the air. The water had turned into lava. Jowan was falling right toward it, when all of a sudden Carpet appeared and caught him, baring him away.

Lily was standing on one of the rocks of the bridge now. She looked left and right, and saw rocks exploding into lava. Carpet raced over and Jowan grabbed onto her by the middle, barely keeping a hold of the heavy mabari just as the last rock exploded.

“Whoa! Carpet, let's move!”

They raced back through the caves, dodging walls and falling debris. Lily buried her head in his lap and whined.

“Come on Lils, this is no time to panic.” Jowan looked up to see that they were heading right for a wall. “Start panicking!”

Carpet went into a dive that had Jowen and Lily clutching onto it for dear life, sliding along a wall then through another cave just as the lava poured out behind them. Finally, they emerged through the internal entrance. 

Outside, the cave began to growl and close. They were almost to the top when they ran into a rock face, jolting Jowan and Lily off into it. A boulder dropped on the carpet, sending it to the floor. Jowan grabbed onto the rock wall and held on. 

He looked up and saw the old man, waiting and within reach.

“Help me out!”

“Throw me the lamp!” The old man yelled back.

“I can't hold on. Give me your hand.”

“First give me the lamp!”

Jowan reached into his clothes and pulled out the magic lamp. He handed it up, and the old man raised it above his head, eyes flashing with a strange gleam as if possessed.

“What are you doing?” Jowan asked fearfully, seeing the old man reaching for something that glinted from his clothes.

“Giving you your reward. Your _eternal_ reward.“ He pulled out a crooked dagger and raised it to stab Jowan, but Lily darted forward and bit into his wrist. The old man screamed and let go of Jowan, who felt right back into the cave. Lily was kicked off right after him, and Jowan was not looking forward to the impact, or in finding out if the lava had made it into the chamber below.

He remembered hitting the wall - what had to be at least three times judging by the pain in his throbbing head - before he fell into merciful unconsciousness.

* * *

Alistair was sitting on his bed petting Duncan, who was leaning up against his side comforting him

“Alistair? What’s wrong?” The King asked in concern from the doorway.

“Loghain has done something…terrible.” Alistair said in a miserable tone.

“There there, my son,” Eamon said in a tone that Alistair hadn’t heard in years. “We'll set it right. Now, tell me everything.“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I muddled the old man thing a bit.


	5. Jowan Wakes

When Jowan had agreed to go into the cave, he never expected to end up in this position.

“Oh, my head.” He groaned, lifting a hand to carefully feel around it it.

His brain sluggishly recalled the piles of treasure they had discovered, reaching for the lamp at the top of the pillar, and then it had all went to hell when Lily tried to snag a statue of Andraste and the cave decided that they were infidels. Oh, and let’s not forget the _lava_ , almost getting smashed on the rocks or being betrayed and nearly stabbed by the old man, who probably had been working for Loghain the whole time.

He raised his other hand and wiped off the slobber from where Lily had been trying to wake him. There was movement in front of him, and he remembered the carpet. It had been pinned under a rocket when Jowan had fallen and hit his head, but it seemed to be free now.

“Thanks.” He mumbled, sitting up slowly. He looked up to see that the entrance had been sealed in. He was surrounded by stone.

“Looks like we're trapped, guys. That two-faced son of a demon!” Jowan growled. After a moment of deep breathing, he calmed down. “Whoever he really was, he's long gone with that lamp.”

“Woof!”Lily barked, leaving his side for a moment before returning, dropping something down in front of him with a solid thunk. Jowan blinked down at it for a moment before realizing - it was the magic lamp!

“Why, you hairy little thief! Looks like such a beat-up, worthless piece of junk. Hey, I think there's something written here, but it's hard to make out.”

Jowan rubbed the lamp, trying to clear off some of the dirt. Suddenly, purple smoke came out of the hole and the lamp began to shake and glow, but Jowan held firmly onto it. To his amazement, a purple glowing figure came out of it, limbs all spread out in a stretch.

“Ten thousand years, really? _Ouch_.” The figure was female, and wore golden pants and a vest, a wrap underneath to bind her chest. She had pointy ears, chin-length, black hair that curled slightly around her face and eyes to match her skin.

Jowan feared that he was gaping stupidly, but was saved from blurting out anything too embarrassing (or perhaps just babbling) as she spoke.

“What's your name then?”

“U-um, I’m Jowan.”

“Jowan, huh?” Her gaze swept over his form.

“I must have hit my head harder than I thought.” Jowan mumbled.

“You’re much better-looking than my last master.” The purple figure stepped up to him, and put a finger under his chin, moving his face this way and that as she scrutinized him.

“Wait a minute! I'm— _master_?” 

“That’s right. I’m the genie of this lamp here.” She waved to the lamp on ground, where Jowan had allowed it to fall in his surprise. “And I’m here to grant you three wishes. I hope you don’t think I’m too direct, but after the nth time going through explanations, you learn to cut to the chase.”

“Three wishes?” Jowan parroted.

“Precisely. You _can’t_ wish for more wishes, so don’t even try it, and you can’t take _back_ a wish once you’ve made it.” She said this with the air of someone used to repeating herself.

“Now I know I'm dreaming.” Jowan said to Lily, who was sitting and watching the proceedings with her tongue lolling out of her mouth and panting.

“So? What will it be, master?” This said in a bored tone as she crossed her arms.

“So you’ll grant me any three wishes I want?” Jowan clarified.

“As long as you don’t ask me to kill anyone, make anyone fall in love with you or bring someone back from the dead.” She recited, ticking them off on her fingers.

Jowan shook his head slowly, still in disbelief. He couldn’t believe that just this morning he’d woken up with dog slobber on his pants, already planning what he’d have to do to get some food to eat that day.

“Okay, I’ll deal with that later. For now, I have to figure out how to get us all out of here.”

Carpet flew over to him, floating in midair. 

“Oh, hello.” The carpet seemed to wait patiently. Jowan looked between it and the roof. “I suppose it’s worth a try…”

So they all piled up onto the carpet, and when they neared the roof, the genie glowed brighter as the passage through the sand was eased.

* * *

“Loghain, this is an outrage. If it weren't for all your years of loyal service... From now on, you are to discuss sentencing of prisoners with me, before they are beheaded.” Eamon rebuked the adviser from his place in front of the throne.

“I assure you, your highness, it won't happen again.” Loghain bowed.

“Alistair, Loghain, now let's put this whole messy business behind us. Please?” Eamon beseeched, putting a hand on Alistair’s shoulder.

“My most abject and humblest apologies to you as well, prince.” Loghain reached out to shake Alistair’s hand, but the younger man put them behind his back.

“At least some good will come of my being forced to marry.” Alistair got into the advisor’s face and growled. “When I am king, I will have the power to get rid of you.” 

The prince turned and stormed out.


	6. Jowan in the Desert

They flew over the desert for a while before landing for a break on an island.

“Do you have a name?” Jowan asked after a few minutes of exploring. 

“A name?” The genie asked in a surprise tone. “I don’t remember the last time someone asked me that.”

“Well…I figure if we’re going to be together for a while, I should know what to call you.”

“Surana.” She offered. “And may I know your name, master?”

“Call me Jowan, please.”

“So have you finally wrapped your head around it all?”

“What, that a genie appeared to grant me three wishes? I think so. It still seems so strange, like I’m in a dream, but if so I suppose it won’t hurt to follow along for a while, right?” Jowan gave a wry smile. “I don’t want to waste them. What would you wish for?”

“Me?” Surana asked in that same surprised tone again. “Aren’t you an interesting shem? All the ones before never thought to ask me that.”

Jowan wanted to ask what a shem was, but didn’t want to get too off-topic.

“Isn’t there anything you want?”

“Well…there is one thing…” Surana drew out, as if still deciding whether to say anything.

“Tell me.” Jowan encouraged.

“Freedom.” Surana stated frankly.

“You're a prisoner?” Jowan glanced down at the lamp in his hands.

“That’s part of being a genie.” Surana shrugged. “We’re bound to our lamps until our master calls us out to grant his wishes, and the cycle repeats.” Surana crossed her arms. Jowan noticed the metal bands on her wrists. “But I’ll never be free.” She said in a bitter tone.

“Why not?”

“The only way to gain freedom is if my master wishes for it. As you can see, it’s never come up.”

“I'll do it. I'll set you free.” Surana looked at him skeptically.

“No, really, I promise. After I make my first two wishes, I'll use my third wish to set you free.” There was silence for a moment before Jowan awkwardly offered his hand.

“You’re an interesting shem, but I’m not resting too much hope on you.” Surana still shook it. Her hand felt cool in his, but solid.

“So, what is it that _you_ wish for?”

“Well, there’s this man—” Jowan began.

“No romance.” Surana interrupted.

“I know, I know. But Surana, he’s so _naive_ but it’s adorable really, and he’s not like all the other nobles I’ve seen, and he’s got these Maker-given _looks_.”

Surana was gazing on him with amusement, and Jowan flushed in embarrassment at his own over-enthusiasm.

“I just want to see him again. But he's the prince. To even get a glimpse of him again, I'd have to be a—hey, can you make _me_ a prince?” Jowan wondered.

“Just say the words and it shall be done.”

Jowan took a deep breath, let it out and said, “Surana, I wish for you to make me a prince.”

In the blink of an eye, Jowan was clothed in the fashion of the princes he’d seen only in books. Surana then waved a hand at Lily, and she turned into a beautiful, regal horse. Jowan was glad that she kept her golden brown coloring. Lily neighed, appearing startled at the unexpected sound, clearly having expected it to come out as a bark.

“Lily, you’re gorgeous.” Jowan praised, lifting a hand to ruffle her mane.

* * *

Alistair watched from a balcony overlooking the front of the castle as a procession of performers and servants filed in the streets. Another suitor come to call, even more flashy than any that had come before. Did they never end? He _hmph_ ’ed and left.

Alistair hid behind a pillar to listen in on the conversation in the throne room.

“ _Ahem_. Your majesty, I have journeyed from afar to seek your son's hand.” A thick voice spoke.

After a few minutes, Alistair tuned out the rest of his conversation, quite annoyed with how his father seemed really into the new suitor, and even more annoyed that Loghain was still allowed to be his father’s adviser.

Alistair was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Eamon shouting. He pulled the door open just enough to peek out — to see his father flying around on a carpet of all things! Mouth gaping, Alistair watched as Eamon flew around and around in the sky, even upside down at one point, clinging tightly to the carpet. He seemed to be having a blast. 

Alistair felt the curiosity of a little boy well up in him, wanting to try it out for himself. Where had the suitor gotten a _magic carpet_?

“This is a very impressive youth. And a prince besides.” Eamon said after landing and getting his bearings. He whispered something to Loghain, but Alistair couldn’t make it out, only that Loghain seemed displeased. 

“I don't trust him, sire.”

“Nonsense. One thing I pride myself on Loghain, I'm an excellent judge of character.“

Alistair pushed open the door and stepped out.

“Alistair will like this one!” Eamon smiled when he saw him, waving him over.

“And I'm pretty sure I'll like Prince Alistair.” The suitor said almost shyly. Alistair couldn’t see his features very well in the heavy outfit and turban (how was he not sweltering in this heat?), but Alistair got a glimpse of dark gray eyes before the man ducked his head. Something seemed familiar about the gesture.

“Your highness, no.” Loghain stepped in front of the suitor. “I must intercede on Alistair's behalf.” Alistair bristled at Loghain’s audacity. “This boy is no different than the others. What makes him think he is worthy of the prince?”

“Just let him meet me. I know we’ll get along.” The suitor said confidently.

“How dare you!” Alistair growled, having had enough. The accumulation of all the suitors, people assuming they knew what was best for him and what had happened with Jowan finally making him snap. “All of you, standing around deciding my future? I’m not a prize to be won!” 

Alistair stormed out. He was doing that a lot lately.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I lost the computer I was playing DA on and was then taken over by other fandoms!


	7. Balcony

“What am I going to do? Alistair won't even let me talk to him. I should have known I couldn't pull off this stupid prince wish.” Jowan groaned, pacing in the courtyard below the castle.

Lily was trying to get at the inside of a banana with her muzzle, getting more frustrated when she just squashed it. She gave up with an annoyed huff that sounded similar to what it would in her real form.

“Surana?”

“You know what you should do?” The genie asked, leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.

“What?” Jowan asked hopefully.

“Tell him the _truth_.” Surana declared as if it was the most obvious thing in the word, raising an eyebrow.

“No way! If Alistair found out I was really some crummy street rat, he'd laugh at me.“

“I haven’t met his Alistair, but didn’t you hang out together and it went fine? Don’t you think you should just be yourself?”

“That's the last thing I want to be. Okay, I'm going to go see him. I have be smooth, cool, confident. How do I look?“ Jowan stood rigidly, trying not to fidget with his shirt cuffs that felt too constricting.

“Like a prince.” Surana stated bluntly.

Jowan took one last deep breath, stepped onto the carpet and rode it up to the balcony, staying just out of sight.

“Prince Alistair?” He called out.

“Who's there?” The prince asked in a suspicious tone.

“It's me—Prince J—. Ahem,” He hurriedly modulated his voice. “Prince Jon.”

“I don’t want to see you.”

“Please Alistair. Give me a chance.” He climbed over the side of the balcony railing. A curtain hid the prince from view, but he heard a mabari growl before it slipped through the curtain and advanced on him.

“Just leave me alone.” Alistair said dismissively.

“Down puppy! I have a mabari just like you, her name is Lily.” Jowan soothed in a calm tone, bending down to make himself look smaller, and subsequently making his turban fall off. “Maybe you could meet her sometime.”

Alistair’s silhouette sat up in bed. “Wait, wait. Do I know you?”

“Uh, no, no.” Jowan replied, hastily pulling his turban back on just before Alistair pushed the curtain aside.

“You remind me of someone I met in the marketplace.”

“The marketplace?” Jowan squeaked, standing up. “I have servants that go to the marketplace for me. Why I even have servants who go to the marketplace for my servants, so it couldn't have been me you met.” He rambled nervously, feeling like a complete idiot the whole time.

“No, I guess not.” Alistair said, sounding…disappointed? 

“Aren’t you going to compliment him?” Surana’s voice drifted up from below. Jowan latched onto the opportunity to change the subject.

“Um, Prince Alistair.” Jowan stuttered. “You’re very…”

“Pretty.” Surana muttered, and Jowan didn’t even think before he repeated the word to Alistair.

“Pretty!”

“ _Pretty_?” Alistair raised an eyebrow, and Jowan was _utterly mortified_.

No no _no_ , he was making a complete mess of things! He wasn’t here to woo the prince, he had just wanted to make sure he was okay, and maybe to be friends. What had he been _thinking_?

“Handsome. I meant _handsome_.” Jowan hastily corrected, cursing Surana over and over in his head. Being locked up in the lamp must have made her cranky.

“Hmm. I'm rich too, you know.” Alistair drawled.

“Yes.” Jowan agreed.

“The son of a king.”

“I know?”

“A fine prize for any noble to marry.”

“Uh, right. Right. A noble like me.” Jowan said a bit uneasily, feeling the tension in the air.

“Here we go…” Surana said from below.

“Right, a noble like you. And every other stuffed shirt, swaggering, peacock I've met! Just go jump off a balcony!” Alistair snarled and turned to stalk away.

“What?” Jowan stuttered.

“Aren’t you going to stop him?” Surana wondered.

“Shh!”

“Remember what I said about being yourself?”

“Yeah, right!” Jowan hissed.

“What?!” Alistair whirled around to face him.

“Uh, you're right. You aren't just some prize to be won.” Jowan amended. “You should be free to make your own choice.”

Alistair shared a confused look with Duncan.

“I'll go now.” Jowan stepped up onto the ledge and onto Carpet.

“No!” He heard Alistair gasp.

Jowan popped his head back over the ledge. “What? What?”

“How—how are you _doing_ that?” Alistair asked in an amazed tone, walking over to look over the edge.

“It's a magic carpet.” Jowan explained.

“Oh, I remember seeing it when father rode it. It’s…cool.” The prince admitted in a grudging tone, reaching over to touch one of it’s tassels. Carpet wrapped it around Alistair’s hand in return, making the prince chuckle in surprise. It heartened Jowan to hear it.

“You, uh, you don't want to go for a ride, do you? We could get out of the castle, see the world.”

“Is it safe?” Alistair asked, but his mind seemed to be already made up, as he was already clinging over the ledge.

“Sure. Do you trust me?”

Alistair’s head jerked up to look at him.

“What did you say?”

Jowan extended his hand to him. “Do you trust me?”

Alistair grinned. “Yes.”

The prince took his hand and Jowan helped him down. Carpet took off right away, knocking them back and into sitting positions. The cool wind air whipped their hair around their faces.

He heard Alistair gasp as they flew over the castle wall and into the sky. He watched as Alistair looked around one last time to see Ferelden disappearing from sight.

Despite all the wonders around them, Jowan’s gaze kept being drawn back to Alistair, and felt like a bunch of butterflies were in his stomach every time he saw the way the prince was looking right back. 

Wanting to make this the best experience Alistair ever had, he pulled out all the stops, pointing out things of interest as they flew along. They flew in and out of the clouds, startling a few birds, and over the coastline of Antiva - Jowan playfully scooping up some water and sprinkling it on Alistair, making the other man laugh openly. Jowan gaped for a moment, in awe of the man’s beauty.

He never wanted the moment to end.

Alistair seemed to have spotted a herd of wild horses below and eagerly pointed them out to him. The carpet descended to fly beside them, so close that Alistair was able to reach out and touch the mane of one.

They then passed through some trees, where Jowan reached down and plucked an apple, placing it in Alistair’s palm with a smile. The prince stared at it for a moment before closing his hand around it.

Carpet hovered over a lake, where they could see the reflection of the moon. Fireworks burst in the sky as they landed on the rooftop of a building.

“It's all so magical.” Alistair said in a wondering tone.

“Yeah.” Jowan replied quietly, but he wasn’t looking at the fireworks. Alistair turned to return his gaze.

“It's a shame Lily had to miss this.” He said casually.

“Nah. She hates fireworks. She doesn't really like flying either.” Jowan froze as he replayed Alistair’s words. “That is...oh no! “

Alistair reached over and yanked off Jowan’s turban, making strands of hair fall into his face.

“You _are_ the man from the market! I knew it. Why did you lie to me?“ Alistair asked accusingly.

“Alistair, I’m sorry.” Was all Jowan managed to get out around his tight throat.

“Did you think I was stupid?” Alistair threw his turban at him.

“No!” Jowan hastened to assure him.

“That I wouldn't figure it out?”

“No. I mean, I hoped you wouldn't. No, that's not what I meant.” Jowan mentally smacked his forehead.

“Who are you? Tell me the truth!” Alistair reached out and grabbed onto his arm in a firm grip, as if he thought Jowan would try to escape.

“The truth?” Jowan froze. Anything but the truth. “The truth...the truth is...I sometimes dress as a commoner to escape the pressures of castle life. But I really am a prince!” Jowan asserted, pulling his turban back on. The feather fell over his face, but it was ignored.

“Why didn't you just tell me?”

“Well, you know, um...royalty going out into the city in disguise, it sounds a little strange, don't you think?” Jowan asked putting the turban back on. The father fell over to tickle his face.

“Not that strange.” Alistair replied with a charming grin, erasing his previous look of suspicion.

Then Alistair reached over again to move the feather aside, before scooting over to sit closer to him until their thighs were touching. Jowan froze in surprise, and looked at the prince’s face out of the corner of his eyes. Alistair’s cheeks and ears were red, and Jowan’s breath was stolen as he realized that Alistair was…what, _flirting_ with him?

As Jowan pried his eyes away and looked up to the sky, he gave up on the pretense that he was only doing all of this to check on a friend. He was so _doomed_.

They stayed that way, sharing space and heat, until it got to be a little too chilly, and so they headed back to the castle.

“Good night, my _handsome_ prince.” Alistair teased, stepping onto the balcony. “Oh wait, that’s me, isn’t it?”

“Um. Sleep well, prince Alistair.” Jowan managed to get out, blushing at the reminder of his foot-in-mouth disease.

They stared at each other for a minute, before simultaneously leaning forward ever so slowly, until Carpet suddenly jerked from underneath him, making him stumble forward into Alistair. They could have avoided their lips meeting, but neither tried. Alistair’s were soft and warm.

They pulled apart, both blushing and looking awkwardly away and back again, until Alistair finally turned to walk away. He stopped midway, turning slowly to look back at him with a shy smile, before disappearing behind the curtain.

Carpet slowly descended, but Jowan kept his gaze firmly on the balcony until his eyes couldn’t see so far up anymore.

“I think…for the first time in my life, things are starting to go right.”

And that’s when rough hands grabbed him from behind.

“Hey! What?” Jowan exclaimed, but a gag was tied around his mouth, muffling his words.

“Lily! _Lily_!” Jowan looked around to see that Lily had been chained to a tree and a bit placed in her mouth. She was trying her best to gnaw through the chains. Jowan struggled to break free himself.

“Hold him!” A guard ordered, and shackles were snapped around his feet and hands. Carpet was stuffed in a bag that was then tied closed.

“I'm afraid you've worn out your welcome, _Prince Joe_.” Jowan looked up at see Loghain standing over him, looking smug. “Make sure he's never found.” He ordered as he walked away. Jowan glared at his back.

Then he was hit over the head, and lost consciousness. 

The next thing he knew, he was sinking quickly in water. The chains on his feet had been tied to a rock. His turban and lamp were floating away from him, and he tried in vain to grab the lamp so he could rub it and call Surana.

He lost consciousness once again, but not before mentally taking back his comment about things going right.

* * *

Jowan woke up coughing water out of his lungs.

“You scared me, shem.” Surana spoke from where she hovered beside him.

“You saved me?” Jowan asked in a croaky voice.

“Well it wasn’t wasn’t easy - I might have bent the rules a bit.” Surana admitted.

“ _Thank_ you, Surana.” Jowan looked gratefully over at the genie, who looked at him awkwardly for a moment before patting his arm.

“Well, you still have to keep your promise, don’t you? I couldn’t let you die.”

Jowan chuckled, shaking of his head.

“Whatever you say.”


	8. Back to Alistair

Alistair sat on the chair at his desk, polishing the sword Duncan had given him for his last birthday. It was something he didn’t have to put a lot of concentration into, so he was free to let his mind wander.

His mind kept replaying the whole carpet ride - the sights, the sounds, smells and textures. How happy he had been. How excited _Jowan_ had been to show him everything.

He blushed as he recalled the kiss. He had no idea what had gotten into him. He had just been so caught up in the moment, and it seemed like Jowan had liked him too…

“Alistair!” Eamon called out to him suddenly from the doorway.

“Father! You wouldn’t believe what just happened!” Alistair grinned from ear to ear, excited to tell Eamon all about it, especially since he knew Eamon already liked Prince Jon.

“I have chosen a husband for you, my son.” Eamon suddenly stated, and his tone seemed very strange - very flat sounding.

“…What?” Alistair asked blankly.

Loghain appeared from behind Eamon. 

“You will wed Loghain.”

Alistair gasped.

“You're speechless, I see. A fine quality in a spouse.” Loghain stated.

“I will never marry you.” Alistair strode over to stand before Eamon. “Father, I choose Prince Jon.”

“Prince Jon _left_!”

“Better check again, Loghain!” A familiar voice said from the balcony.

“Prince Jon!”

“Tell them the truth, Loghain! You tried to have me killed.” Jowan stepped into the room.

“What?” Loghain went over to the King. “Ridiculous nonsense, your highness. He is obviously lying.” Alistair couldn’t see what Loghain was doing, but he stepped forward anxiously to stop Loghain if he tried something.

“Obviously...lying.” Eamon said as if in a daze.

“Father, what's wrong with you?”

“I know!” Jowan exclaimed, stepping forward and grabbing ripping something from Loghain’s neck, throwing it on the floor where it shattered, casting shards of glass across the floor.

“Wh-what?” Eamon stuttered, looking around in confusion.

“Your highness, Loghain's been controlling you with this!” Jowan gestured to the mess. Now that Alistair looked closer, he could see that it had been a pendulum, like one from a clock.

“What? Loghain? You, you _traitor_!“

The trio advanced on Loghain at once.

“Your majesty, all of this can be explained.” Loghain raised his hands as if to placate them.

“Guards! Guards!” Eamon shouted over his shoulder at the door.

Loghain tried to make a lunge for Jowan but was thwarted as the guards ran into the room and grabbed onto him.

“Arrest Loghain at once.”

“This is not done yet, boy!” Loghain pulled a vial from his pocket, and Jowan rushed forward to try and stop him, but they were too late - Loghain threw the vial on the floor, and a large red cloud appeared and obscured everything.

By the time it had cleared up, Loghain was gone.

“Find him, search everywhere!”The guards immediately ran off in search of the escaped man.

“Alistair, are you alright?” Jowan stepped up to him and placed a hand on his arm.

“Yes. You?”

“I’m fine.”

They stared at each other for a moment before leaning in at the same time.

“Loghain, my most trusted counselor, plotting against me all this time. Eamon ranted as he barged between them. When he passed through them, they stepped back close to each other, smiling. It was as if nothing could come between them, they were in their own personal bubble.

“Just horrible. How will I ever-” Eamon paused and looked between them.

“Can it be true? My son has finally chosen a suitor?”

Alistair nodded, blushing.

“”Ha ha! Praise the Maker! You brilliant boy, I could kiss you! I won't—I'll leave that to my—. You two will be wed at once! Yes, yes. And you'll be happy and prosperous, and then my boy, you will be King!“

“King?” Jowan yelped.

“Yes, a fine upstanding youth like yourself, a person of your unimpeachable moral character is exactly what this kingdom needs!”

Jowan looked nervous and uncertain. Alistair could understand. It was all happening so fast. He still felt like there was so much he didn’t know about the other man, but they had no time to get into it now.


	9. Kicked Out

“They want me to be _King_?” Jowan paced the room he had been given.

“Well _done_.” Surana congratulated as she came out of the lamp. “You've just won the heart of the prince. What are you going to do next?”

Jowan was too worried to care about the faintly mocking tone the genie used. He was used to her crankiness by then.

He just hung his head and continued pacing, and worrying himself to death.

Despite all his show of confidence in front of the King, the truth was that he was near scared out of his wits. Some part of him hadn’t expected to get this far, and so he hadn’t planned ahead.

And now Eamon wanted him to marry his son and rule jointly as King.

“Surana.” Jowan stopped abruptly, turning to the genie. “They want to make me King - no, they want to make Prince Jon Levyn king. Without you, I’m just _Jowan_.”

“But you got the prince.” Surana pointed out.

“Because of you! The only reason anyone thinks I'm anything is because of you. What if they find out I'm not really a prince?” Jowan’s voice had steadily been lifting, but as he continued on it became a whisper. “What if Alistair finds out? I'll lose him. Surana, I can't keep this up on my own. I want to wish you free, but…”

Jowan somehow managed to look the genie in the eyes. She wore a stony expression as she gazed back at him.

“I understand.” She said briefly.

“You…you do?” Jowan blinked in surprise.

“I _understand_ , because I never expected you to honor your word in the first place. Some part of me had hoped… But no. You are just like any other shem.” And with that, Surana disappeared back inside the lamp.

“Surana, I’m sorry…” Jowan whispered, and gently paced a pillow over the lamp to put it out of site and out of some strange idea that it would keep Surana warm.

He looked over to see Lily watching. She whined and put a paw over her face. Jowan grimaced.

“I know, I’ve made a mess of things, haven’t I Lils?” He sighed, putting his head in his hands. “What am I doing? Surana’s right - I have to tell Alistair the truth.”

And if things went badly, at least he would have their day together, the best day of his life, to remember Alistair by.

“Jon? Jon!—will you come here?” Jowan heard Alistair’s voice calling him from a distance.

“Well, here goes.” Jowan took a deep breath and let it out, put on his turban and headed off.

“Alistair? Where are you?” He called out as he walked into the castle garden.

“In the menagerie, hurry.“

“I’m coming.” Jowan called out in reply, speeding up and wondering why Alistair hadn’t just come to his room to get him.

* * *

Jowan eventually found Alistair at the top of the stairs leading to a platform.

“Alistair?”

“Jon, where have you been?“ Alistair hurried down the stairs to meet him.

“There's something I've got to tell you.” Jowan placed his hand on the other man’s arm.

“The whole kingdom has turned out for father's announcement!” Alistair said excitedly, and started pulling him along up the stairs.

“Alistair, listen to me, please!“ Jowan implored, reaching out to grab him with his free hand to try and get him to listen.

“Good luck!” Alistair pushed him past some curtains and right out onto a platform where the King was waiting. They were overlooking an entire crowd.

“…Jon Levyn!”

“Oh boy!” Jowan choked out.

He was saved from making a fool out himself (mainly by passing out), because just then, dark clouds began to circle the castle. The platform roof ripped off and blew away. The King and Jowan ducked the debris.

“Whoa!” Jowan exclaimed, placing a hand on the ground for balance.

“Andraste’s Breath. What is this? What is going on?” As Jowan watched, the turban on Eamon’s head was lifted off, and the rest of his clothes followed, leaving him in his small clothes.

Just then, Loghain stepped forward, and he was wearing Eamon’s outfit. The man chuckled darkly.

“Loghain, you vile betrayer.” Eamon cursed.

“I won’t let you get away with this.” Jowan vowed, reaching into his clothes for the lamp. …Which wasn’t there. He had left it back in his room!

“Finders-keepers, _Joe_.”

Jowan followed Loghain’s gaze to the sky to see a giant Surana lifting the castle into the clouds. Jowan raised his fingers to his lips and whistled, calling Carpet to him and flying up into the sky, dodging rocks and dirt to hover beside the genie’s head.

“Surana! No!”

“Sorry, shem. It appears that I have a new master.” Surana said in a clipped tone, and, lifting the castle with ease, flew away to place it on top of a mountain.

“Loghain, I order you to stop!” Eamon shouted in vain.

“There's a new order now—my order! Finally, _you_ will bow to _me_!” And just as he said the word, Eamon was bowing.

“We will _never_ bow to you!” The prince stepped forward, yelling at the deceiver.

“If you will not bow before a king, then you will cower before a god!” Loghain turned to Surana. “Genie, my second wish—I wish to be the most powerful god in the world!“

Surana lifted a finger. Jowan tried to grab her arm, but she was too strong.

A purple bolt struck Loghain, and suddenly he was wearing a gleaming set of armor.

“Now where were we? Ah, yes—abject humiliation!”

Loghain snapped his fingers and suddenly Alistair was bowing as well. Duncan came running at him but Loghain snapped his fingers again, and the mabari turned into a puppy.

“Oh, prince—” Loghain reached down and lifted Alistair’s chin with his hand. “—there's someone I'm dying to introduce you to. “

“Loghain! Get your hands off of him!” Jowan snarled.

Loghain snapped his fingers, knocking Jowan off the carpet. Then with a single snap more, Prince Jon Levyn turned back into street rat Jowan.

“Jon!” Alistair exclaimed.

“Alistair, I tried to tell you. I’m just—” Jowan said pleadingly, walking over and taking the other man’s wrists in his hand, but before Alistair say anything, Loghain used his newly gained powers to lift him and Lily, after he returned her to her true form as well, sending them through window of a pillar.

In the next instant, they were flying through the air.

* * *

The next thing Jowan knew, he had a faceful of something cold and wet. At least it was snow this time instead of water. He gathered himself, slowly sitting up and making sure he wasn’t injured. He seemed fine, except for the bruises on his arms from where the guards had manhandled him. That seemed so distant now.

“Lily?” He called out, looking around. He was surrounded by snowy wasteland, and the wind was blowing freezing cold flurries everywhere.

A patch of snow nearby was shivering. Jowan ran towards it, biting his lip.

“Oh, this is all my fault—I should have freed Surana when I had the chance.”

He dug Lily out and cradled her as much as he could on his lap.

“Lily! Are you okay? I'm sorry, Lily—I made a mess of everything, somehow. I have to go back and set things right.” Lily stopped shivering, lifted her head and gave him a wet lick on his forehead. Jowan chuckled lowly, hugging her tightly.

He stood up, making sure Lily was alright before they headed off in the direction that he hoped was Ferelden.

He stepped on something that wasn’t snow and looked down.

“Carpet!” He exclaimed. “How did you get here?”

The carpet seemed to be frozen, and when he looked up, he realized that it was pinned by the top of the pillar. He crouched down and tried to tug it free, but too much of it was under the heavy column. Instead, he started using his hands to scoop snow out from underneath it and around it.

“Lily, start digging! That's it!“ Between the two of them, enough snow was removed that he could slowly and carefully ease the carpet out. However, the pillar started rolling forward, and Jowan was stick between it and a cliff. 

“Lily!” He yelled, calling her over. He only had an instant to run forward and duck as the pillar rolled over them and off the cliff. A moment later, he looked up and around to see that they had made it - he had gotten them to the right spot where the window had been.

Jowan stood and walked over to the carpet, and started to brush it off with his already freezing hands, but the carpet floated off a bit and shook itself.

Jowan had to laugh - it looked just like Lily when she got wet. Carpet came back and waited for them to get on.

“Thanks, Carpet. Now, back to Ferelden! Let's go!“


	10. Alistair at the Castle

Alistair clenched his fists from his place chained beside the throne, clothed only in tight trousers. The sky outside the window was shrouded in eerie red clouds.

Loghain pulled at the chain, and with gritted teeth, Alistair walked up to him holding a plate of food. Loghain gestured at the apple for him to pick it up.

Eamon was tied up like a marionette, and Dog was sitting across from him, growling. Flecks of drool foamed around his mouth.

“Leave him alone!” Alistair snapped, chains rattling as he unconsciously shuffled closer.

“It pains me to see you reduced to this, Alistair.” Loghain leaned forward and took a bit out of the apple Alistair was holding.

“You know, you remind me of someone I once knew. I could be persuaded to keep you. Maybe I’d even let you warm my bed.“ Loghain laughed mockingly.

Alistair responded by picking up a glass of wine and throwing it in his face.

“Never!”

“I'll teach you some respect!” Loghain raised a fist to him, but Alistair refused to back down. Loghain paused. “No. Genie, I have decided to make my final wish. I wish for Prince Alistair to obey my every command. “

“Master, there are a few things…”

“Don't talk back to me! You will do what I order you to do, slave!“

The genie looked unhappy, but seemed unable to do anything against Loghain. Alistair wondered where the genie had come from. The only thing he knew about them was that they granted wishes.

Alistair looked away, only to glimpse Jowan in the window, motioning for him to play along. Alistair turned back towards Loghain.

“Master, what would you have me do?”

Thankfully, the genie seemed to have a good poker face and just watched to see what he would do.

“That's better. Now, boy, come here and sit at my feet.”

“Yes, Master.” Alistair said agreeably, but inside he was using a few choice curse words he’d heard the guards use when they thought he wasn’t listening.

* * *

Jowan’s jaw dropped as he realized how Alistair intended to distract Loghain. He was settling on the ground between the older man’s knees, letting Loghain run his hands through his hair.

“Jowan.” Surana calling out to him in a quiet voice, distracting him from his swirling emotions.

“Surana. I’m sorry.”

“I know. I’m sorry I can’t help you. He truly is my master now.” The genie crossed her arms.

“Hey—I'm a street rat, remember? I'll improvise.“ Jowan gave a wry smile.

He snuck over and hid behind a pile of treasure behind Loghain’s back.

“You’re used to giving dogs a bath, aren’t you? Dog will be needing one soon.”

“Yes, Master.” Alistair seemed relaxed enough, but Jowan could tell that in truth he wasn’t comfortable at all. It was only because he was watching so closely that he saw Alistair’s hand tapping on the ground. Jowan took that as a sign to come closer.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily grabbing Dog’s attention to draw him away. Jowan mentally thanked her.

“Tell me Alistair, what do you think of the street rat?”

“ _What_ street rat?” Alistair asked in an inviting voice, looking up at Loghain with half-mast eyes. Loghain was leaning down over Alistair, and Jowan realized that they were close enough to kiss. His elbow accidentally shot out in his shocked horror and knock into the pile of treasure, causing a pile of coins to ring noisily across the floor.

He froze as Loghain turned to look, but Alistair hurriedly reached up and cradled Loghain’s face, pressing their lips together. Jowan grimaced.

“That was—” Loghain began when they pulled apart, but just then he spotted Jowan’s reflection on a golden shield propped against the wall.

“You! How many times do I have to kill you, boy?” He snapped his fingers and zapped Jowan, sending him flying backwards and into a large pile of treasure. 

Alistair rushed Loghain, but Loghain pushed him to the ground. Jowan surged forward to tackle Loghain’s legs, sending the man stumbling.

“Get the lamp!” 

Alistair ran for it, but Loghain snapped his fingers and sent Alistair into an enlarged hourglass.

“Ah, ah, ah, prince—your time is up!”

Sand began to fall from the glass, piling up on the prince. Alistair tried to shield his face but as was the nature of sand, it seeped into every crevice it could find.

“Alistair, no!”

Just then, Lily came running back into the room, having shaken Loghain’s mabari. 

“Don’t toy with me, boy!” Loghain snapped his fingers and turned Lily into a stuffed dog.

“Lily!” Jowan called out in dismay.

Carpet rushed in and tried to help too, but all in vain.

“Things are unraveling fast now, boy.” With another of those infernal snaps, Carpet unraveled. Jowan desperately lunged for the lamp again.

Jowan’s path was blocked by large conjured swords sticking in the floor. Loghain grabbed the lamp and laughed nastily. Jowan reached forward and pulled a sword out of the floor.

“I'm just getting warmed up!” Loghain sneered, snapping a ring of fire into existence to surround Jowan. Jowan could feel its heat licking at his feet and clothes, just shy of burning him.

“Are you afraid to fight me yourself, you cowardly _monster_?” Jowan sneered.

“A monster, am I? Perhaps you'd like to see how monster-like I can really be!”

Loghain’s lips curled, and Jowan saw a pair of wicked incisors growing out of his gums. He proceeded to turn into a giant wolf from a child’s worse nightmare, and the fire surrounding Jowan became a part of the wolf, flaming from its paws. The wolf stalked towards him, and although Jowan wanted to run and never look back, he held his ground.

The wolf snapped at him, but Jowan ducked away each time before on the third try, Jowan swung the sword and hit it, more out of luck than skill. 

“Nice one.” Surana gave her opinion from off to the side.

“You stay out of this!’ Loghain snarled, jaws snapping and sending spittle through the air.

“Master.” Surana acquiesced with a subtle eye-roll.

Jowan used the distraction to make a break for the hourglass, but Loghain saw him and jumped in front to block his path. Jowan was thrown away, the sword flying out of his hand to clatter noisily on the floor.

“Jowan!” He heard Alistair shout distantly.

Jowan felt more determined than he remembered ever feeling in his life. He rolled to his feet, grabbed the sword back and ran as fast as he could. He rounded a corner, but instead of continuing on, he dug in his heels and waited just against the wall, until the wolf came scrambling around the corner. Loghain ran just past Jowan, but stopped when he realized that Jowan wasn’t ahead of him. 

That’s when Jowan leapt forward, jumped on the wolf’s back and stabbed it. While it screamed in agony, Jowan made a run for it. He ran over to the hourglass and lifted the sword to try and break the glass.

“Hang on, Alistair!” But before he could bring the sword down, a heavy, firey paw stomped on him and held him down. Jowan screamed in pain, struggling in Loghain’s hold.

“You little fool! You thought you could defeat the most powerful being on earth!” Loghain laughed hideously. “Without the genie, boy, you're nothing!”

The mention of Surana made an idea spark in Jowan’s head.

“The genie has more power than you'll _ever_ have!”

“What!”

“She gave you your power, she can take it away!”

Surana was looking between her former and current master, obviously wondering what he was planning.

“Face it, Loghain—you're still just second best!”

“You're right! Her power does exceed my own! But not for long!” Loghain finally stepped off of him and turned to circle the genie.

“You know, the shem _is_ a bit crazy.” Surana drawled. Loghain wasn’t listening, clearly intent on his lust for power. 

“Slave, I make my third wish! I wish to be an all powerful genie!”

Jowan could see the instant Surana realized his intention. Something in her eyes sparked, though she managed to smother it and put on a blank face. Jowan cheered fiercely in his head and crossed his fingers that his plan would work.

“Your wish is my command.” She zapped Loghain with a purple bolt, making his human form disappear, but turning him into a genie instead.

Jowan looked over to see that only Alistair’s raised hand remained above the sand, until it too disappeared. He ran over and finally smashed the glass. The sand poured out in a hissing rush, along with Alistair. Jowan slogged through the sand and held onto him.

“Yes! The power! The absolute power!” Loghain roared, his huge black form filling the room.

“What have you done?” Alistair shouted at him weakly.

“Trust me!” Jowan pleaded.

A black lamp appeared beneath Loghain, but Loghain didn’t seem to notice, as he was busy conjuring.

“The universe is mine to command, to control!“

“Not so fast, Loghain! Aren't you forgetting something?” Loghain looked down questioningly.

“You wanted to be a genie, you got it! And everything that goes with it!”

Shackles appeared on Loghain’s wrists.

“No! _No_!” Loghain tried to resist the lamp’s pull, but it was futile. Within seconds, he had disappeared within.

“Let’s see how you like living in a tiny space for a thousand years or so?” Surana peered down at the lamp in malicious glee before looking up at Jowan. “Not bad, for a shem.”

Jowan could have sworn that that had actually sounded like praise.

Lily returned to herself, Carpet re-raveled, and Eamon was free from his chains. Alistair’s clothes changed back. Duncan barked and jumped around his owner in excitement. The castle reappeared where it belonged. 

Jowan bent down and picked up the lamp, wondering what to do with it.

“Allow me.” Surana said, stepping forward and taking the lamp. She flew up onto the balcony, raised her arm, and faster than the speeding light she took aim and threw the lamp into the sky.

“It’s his turn to spend ten-thousand years in the Cave of Wonders.” She smirked down at them.

Alistair walked over to Jowan, looking about as upset as he felt.

“Alistair, I'm sorry I lied to you about being a prince.”

“I know why you did.”

“Well, I guess...this... is goodbye?”

“Right, that stupid law. This isn't fair—I l-like you.” Alistair’s cheeks were red and Jowan found it too endearing.

“Jowan.” Surana got his attention from her place against the wall, having flew back down from the balcony. “You still have one wish left. Just say the word and you’re a prince again.”

“But, Surana, your freedom…”

Surana stood for a moment, seeming to be thinking about something before she spoke.

“I know what it’s like to have the connection you two do. I’ve been a slave for a long time, I’m used to it. Who’s to say that my wish is even possible? I…” For the first time since he’d known her, which wasn’t admittedly that long, he saw her stumble over her words. “I don’t know what I would do if I went after what I want and it’s not there.”

Jowan had a feeling that she wasn’t talking about her freedom anymore. There must have been something that she wanted to once she was free, but was scared that it wasn’t possible anymore.

“There’s such potential here, it’s obvious to anyone looking. I wouldn’t take that away from you.”

Biting his lip, Jowan turned back to face Alistair. “Alistair, I do like you, but I have to stop pretending to be something I'm not. “

“I understand.”

They shared one final last look before Jowan turned back to Surana.

“Surana, I wish for your freedom.”

“…What?” She blurted out, standing stiffly.

“Surana, you’re free!” Jowan said, smiling.

Suddenly, the shackles around Surana’s wrists broke off, and the lamp fell to the ground, made useless. Surana bent down and picked it up.

“I’m free…?” She sounded so quiet and unsure of herself, so unlike what Jowan was used to. He felt more than ever that he had made the right decision. Surana deserved to live freely, just as Jowan had always wanted for himself, and as Alistair wanted to.

“Jowan, wish for something, will you?” Surana asked him in a parody of her usual near-mocking tone.

“Umm, I wish for Lake Calenhad.” Jowan picked from the top of his head.

“Hmm, let me think about that.” Surana cocked her head to the side. “How about _no_?” When nothing struck her down from the sky, she smiled a beautiful smile and shot up into the sky, yelling “I’m free!” and laughing with a tinkling laugh.

Jowan was so incredibly happy for her, but at the same time sad at the idea of her leaving. He felt like they could have been good friends, in time.

“Surana, I'm—I'm going to miss you.“ Jowan confessed as Surana looked down at him from a few feet up in the air.

“I will miss you too, Jowan. You will always be a prince to me.” Surana floated down and kissed him on the cheek.

King Eamon stepped forward. “That's right. You've certainly proven your worth as far as I'm concerned. It's that law that's the problem.“

“Father?” Alistair questioned.

“Well, am I King or am I King? From this day forth, the prince shall marry whomever he deems worthy.” Eamon declared.

Alistair gaped for a moment before he seemed to finally take it in, striding up to Jowan and taking him by the hands.

“Jowan. I choose…I choose you, Jowan.”

“And I you.” Jowan said in return, squeezing the larger hands in his.

They leaned forward for a kiss, but just then Surana cleared her throat.

“Sorry boys, but it’s time for me to go. You can make out all you want once I’m gone.” Her voice held a teasing tone.

“Bye!” Jowan waved as she started flying away. Alistair’s hand slipped into his, and Jowan looked over to see him waving too. Alistair turned and smiled, and Jowan returned it.

Something bumped into their legs, and they looked down to see Carpet urging them to get on.

The next thing they knew, they were flying off into the moonlit sky, and finally, _finally_ sharing a kiss, one without an audience and that last for as long as they could hold their breath.

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it for the main story! I'm sorry if it was too much like the movie, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. :) 
> 
> Just need to post the sequel oneshot now.


	11. Sequel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made not have done as good of an editing job on the sequel, but I hope it's decent.

Jowan skimmed over the same paragraph for possibly the fifth time. It still didn’t make any sense. He found his eyes darting back up, as they had every time this happened.

Alistair. Clad in shiny metal armor, equipped with a long sword and shield. That was what he saw at first glance. It was easy to pick the man out, as his hair shone golden in the sun, gleaming with sweat. Beads of sweat trailed down his face, dripping onto the mail below.

Jowan was enthralled.

It had been three months since he and Alistair had gotten married. Things were finally settling down now; he had been rewarded for his role in saving Ferelden, and with that, had purchased new clothing befitting his new station, and had moved into Alistair’s room in the castle after it had been renovated.

It had taken a while to get used to castle life, and he still learned something new everyday. It was a lot different than what he had though living royally would be like months ago. For one, he actually had to work. Thankfully, Eamon was patient and Alistair had been raised into it, as they taught him how to rule a land.

For another thing, he couldn’t have predicted how wonderful the basics of life in a castle were. Everything was so clean and as fresh as possible. The servants took care of a lot of the work such as cooking, cleaning and laundering. That had taken a while to get used to - in fact, had made him a bit uncomfortable, despite his past fantasies of the easy life, until he had spoken to some of the servants and learned that they much preferred working there than being out on the streets or worse.

Then there was the _library_. Jowan could spend days in there at a time, and days more looking for more books to add to the collection. Alistair had had to drag him out more than once, stating that without the servants he would starve, or that one of these days he would get lost under all the stacks. Jowan had laughed, but it was close enough to the truth.

Alistair had also said that he would never get to see him. Jowan had blushed and started spending more time with him.

One downside was Lady Isolde. She clearly didn’t like Alistair, and that had extended on to Jowan. Alistair glared at her anytime she looked their way though, so it wasn’t so bad. Jowan quite liked her son, Connor. He was a bright boy who didn’t mind his mother when she told him to stay away from them.

Another thing had been that it was very strange to sleep with another person. Sure, he had slept scrunched in beds with other children in the orphanage, and Lily had slept curled up to him sometimes, but that was different. Sleeping with Alistair felt like something else entirely.

Lily slept with the other mabari, and that had been hard to get used to; he was used to having her close, hearing her breathing (and sometimes snoring) and waking up to her licking his face or digging at the floor. Then there was that when Alistair dreamed, he kicked in his sleep. The first few weeks or so had been really restless for them both, and Jowan was worried that they’d have to sleep separately.

Jowan wasn’t used to being so close to anyone, so when Alistair’s arm brushed his, or he rolled over and their sides touched, Jowan would tense and scoot away. He could tell it bothered the other man, because the air would grow tense. Jowan hadn’t known what to do the first few times it happened, but finally had decided that since he wasn’t getting any sleep anyway, he would try something.

So one night when Alistair had accidentally laid his arm down against Jowan, he hadn’t given the man time to snatch it back. He twisted his own arm around until their hands touched, and entwined his finger’s with the other man’s. The other man had froze and let out a small gasp, before letting out a sigh that made something in Jowan shift.

After that, it had only gotten better, until the night that Alistair had turned onto his side, scooched over and spooned Jowan. It had been weird, at first, but then the warmth had seeped in, and somehow Jowan had just felt safe, and protected somehow, and drifted off to sleep.

However, after a few nights of that, Jowan started having a problem; that is, after noticing a problem of Alistair’s. One night, he had awoken to find something hard poking into his lower back. He had sleepily shifted, trying to figure out what it was, only realizing what it was when the other man let out a sleepy moan.

Jowan’s face had burned at the realization at Alistair has hard up against him, and tried to scoot forward, but Alistair had held tightly onto him. Jowan had given up, but hadn’t slept for the rest of the night, his mind on high gear and body reacting on its own.

Oh, but it hadn’t stopped there. Alistair had eventually noticed the problem, waking one morning to find Jowan tense in his arms. He’d run his hands over his body soothingly, until his fingers had come into contact with the bulge in his braies. 

“Is this okay?” He had whispered as he unloosened the ties, and Jowan had only been able to respond with repeated affirmations as the hands had slipped inside and gently but firmly, as all the while Alistair had ground his hips into him. Their moans had mingled until Jowan had jerked and come. After he had stopped shaking from the aftershocks, he had turned in the other man’s hold and reached down to clumsily but eagerly take the other man in hand, pulling and sweeping over the head until the other man had come with a groan.

They had repeated that a few more times sense then, but more and more, Jowan ached for _something_ more. He wanted more of _Alistair_. He had tried to hint to the other man what he wanted, but the other man always shied away, stating that he didn’t want to hurt him. Jowan, wondering if it was really that painful, had procured some oil for himself and taken to fingering himself at night when Alistair was deep asleep.

It had been strange, at first, feeling more like an intrusion than anything, but the more he practiced, the better it felt, until he could never do it without imagining Alistair inside of him, claiming him.

It was getting to the point where Jowan was always on edge, thinking of the other man at the most inopportune times. It made him cranky and down sometimes, wondering if the other man didn’t want him as much as he wanted Alistair. 

“Slow down!”

Jowan was startled out of his hazy thoughts as Connor ran by after the dogs, laughing.

Jowan was sitting on the back steps of the castle with his book, watching the guards training together. It had interested him to learn that Alistair liked training with them. He supposed that Alistair had been truthful months ago when he’d said that he could take care of himself.

He knew that the other man hadn’t liked being cooped up in the castle, and that training was his way of getting out for a while and letting off any frustrations. Jowan liked seeing the other man so happy and relaxed.

He also liked seeing the strength that that he displayed, as his muscled tensed, shifted and moved as he parried or went on the offense. He thought he was closer to being a god than Loghain would have ever gotten.

One group of guards were sparring together, and another were working with the mabari, training them in obedience. Connor had procured Duncan and Lily and was running around with them, throwing a ball.

The atmosphere was bright and happy, and Jowan couldn’t help but smile as he took everything in.

Then Alistair looked over and met his eyes, and Jowan was lost again. Alistair was breathing hard, licking his lips as he wiped sweat off his brow with a towel. Jowan’s eyes traced the movement of those lips, and suddenly desperately wanted to feel that tongue in his mouth.

He moved his eyes back up to Alistair’s to see that they had darkened and narrowed, and that Alistair was watching him intently. Jowan unconsciously found himself licking his own lips, and swallowing at his suddenly dry throat.

Alistair jerked his head away and took a ladle of water offered to him by another guard.

Jowan took a shuddery breath and stood up to leave.

He’d tortured himself enough.

* * *

For the rest of the day, there was a tension in the air that kept Jowan even more on edge than usual. Every time he glanced at Alistair, he was looking back. Every time they bumped into each other, a spark would flare in him. Sometimes he thought the other man was doing it on purpose to drive him crazy.

Once, when he’d been walking through the hallway to the library for a break from all the tension, he’d been grabbed from behind, pushed into the wall and kissed within an inch of his life, and as Jowan was recovering, Alistair had disappeared, leaving Jowan hard and wanting. _Again_.

Alistair _would_ be paying tonight.

That night, he sat down on the chair to brush his hair. He’d only just begun when it was grabbed from his hands, and Alistair took over. Jowan hummed in pleasure. He had his eyes closed, so didn’t see when the brush was set aside, and only felt when Alistair leaned down and sucked on the side of his neck.

He gasped, eyes opening and hands scrabbling for the man’s shoulders. Alistair continued to suck and nip there, before moving up to his ears, one hand tangled in his hair and pulling it slightly. Jowan’s breathing hitched, and he turned his head just enough for the hold to become tighter.

Alistair let go and stepped backwards, pulling Jowan up by the hands and leading him over to the bed. Jowan went willingly, eagerly.

They spent several minutes caressing, touching, undressing each other and licking and nipping their favorite spots, and just when Jowan was starting to get impatient, Alistair moved down his body.

Jowan groaned as Alistair swirled his tongue over the head of his cock.

“Alistair…”

“Hmm?” Alistair teased as he slowly took him in - overpowering warm, wet heat. Jowan forgot to answer.

For what seemed like several minutes, Alistair sucked and licked him, caressing his balls, rubbing his hands up and down his thighs, Jowan writhing more and more as he moaned and felt his peak arriving.

Alistair moaned around his cock, before sucking hard, and Jowan was coming, trying not to arch too much and gag the other man.

He came to a few minutes later, half-lidded eyes opening fully to see Alistair stroking himself off, eyes clenched tightly. Jowan made a noise in the back of his throat, jerking up and taking the other man’s hands away.

“What-?” Alistair protested.

“That’s _mine_.” Jowan growled, and pounced. Alistair fell back into Jowan’s vacated place, looking startled. Jowan grinned sharply and straddled him.

“Did you think that was going to be it? After all you put me through these last few weeks?” Jowan purred, grinding down onto lover. Alistair’s body automatically jerked up to meet him.

“I don’t-” Alistair started, flushing.

Jowan interrupted him by leaning down to take his lips in a harsh, searing kiss. They both groaned.

Then Jowan put his plan into action. While Alistair was distracted with his mouth, he lifted his hips up, reached back with a hand to find Alistair’s cock, and put it into position. He groaned in anticipation, the sound muffled against Alistair’s mouth.

Then he slowly slid down until the blunt end glided into his body.

“Jowan!” Alistair jerked his head back with a yelp.

“Please,” Jowan whispered, voice taut with tension. “You won’t hurt me.”

Alistair’s hands scrabbled to hold onto his hips as Jowan sunk inch by inch onto his lover’s cock.

“I’ve wanted this for so long. I can’t stop _thinking_ about you, always.” Jowan moaned, throwing his head back as he was finally seated.

“ _Jowan_.” Alistair replied in a tight voice. “How?”

“I…” Jowan hesitated for the first time since they began, a bit embarrassed despite himself. “I’ve been practicing, with my fingers.”

Alistair just stared up at him with wide eyes, until Jowan experimentally moved his hips.

With a growl, Alistair suddenly flipped them over until it was Alistair on top, staring down at him with a look that made Jowan whimper.

“You’ve been doing that in our bed, with me sleeping right next to you?” Alistair twitched his hips, pushing back in from where he’d slipped out a bit, and Jowan had to catch his breath before he could answer.

“Mmhm… Almost every night…” He smirked, and tightened around Alistair’s cock teasingly.

“Oh…” Alistair squeezed his eyes shut. “You _tease_.”

“Alistair.” Jowan whispered, and waited until his lover met his gaze. “Please?”

“Okay.” Alistair answered in the same tone, and then he was slowly pulling out, and Jowan waited with bated breath until he pushed back in. They both groaned.

After a few breaths, Jowan started moving his hips to meet the other man’s, and they settled into a steady rhythm. Heat coiled between them, as well as a weird feeling almost like static electricity that drew them together, until they were nothing but sweat, friction, moans of need and most of all, love, as they kissed and caressed whatever they could get their hands on.

Alistair reached down to bring him off, and came a moment later himself.

They spent a few minutes catching their breath before languidly touching and kissing each other, before settling into their usual spooning position. Alistair kissed his neck, making him hum in contentment.

“When can we do that again?” Alistair murmured in his ear. Jowan barked out a laugh.

“Just for making me wait so long, how about next week?” He asked teasingly. Alistair groaned, and the sound made Jowan shiver in remembrance.

“How about now?” Alistair pressed into him.

“You’re incorrigible.” Jowan huffed, but didn’t protest.


End file.
